The Illinois Paralegal Association Presents its 2014 FALL EDUCATION CONFERENCE November 20, 2014 Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza
9:00 am – 10:15 am
The Essentials of Perfection and Due Diligence when Collateral is Held in a Trust: The UCC filing and
search processes can be especially challenging when the collateral is held in a trust. The Article 9 financing
statement name and content requirements are not intuitive when the matter involves trusts, trustees, settlors
and beneficiaries. As a result, both filers and searchers can easily make inadvertent critical errors that place
the secured party’s ability to enforce its security interest at substantial risk. This presentation explains the
most important issues for trust-related UCC transactions, including how to determine the correct debtor name
for purposes of the financing statement, what other information the financing statement must provide and how
to correctly search for these records. Paul Hodnefield, Associate General Counsel, Corporation Service
Company.
Perfect Partnership between Attorneys and Paralegals: Discussion on relevant cases and attorneyparalegal working relationship and best practices. In addition to discussion of specific cases, discussion will
include document production and docketing errors -- resources to monitor case status, progress, happenings,
and how to implement good practices and strategies for case monitoring. Joseph Nabor, Partner, Fitch, Even,
Tabin & Flannery LLP.
Google and Beyond: Think you know how to search the Internet? Come join us for a fast-paced review of
more than 20 key Internet research tips and websites. We’ll cover Google tools and techniques that many
people never use, then we’ll go beyond Google to identify some of the best alternative search engines,
directories, shortcuts, and productivity tools that will help you make the most of your time when you search the
Internet. Matthew Bird, Senior Research Librarian at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP.
Trademark and Advertising Pitfalls in Social Media: As companies move their advertising initiatives to
social media, both traditional and novel trademark and advertising concerns arise. In this session we will
discuss common issues and provide tips for dealing with them. Christopher Dolan, Attorney, and Andrew
Avsec, Attorney, Brinks Gilson.
Next Generation Legal Research: Change is always afoot in the world of legal information and research.
Next generation research tools from major providers like Westlaw and Lexis as well as emerging technologies
from industry start-ups are turning the way we work on its head. The future is not only about working smarter;
but also more efficiently, collaboratively and remotely! Join us for a look at the latest developments in three of
the most rapidly evolving areas: Cost-Prevention, Next Generation Research Solutions, and Mobile Research.
John DiGilio, MLIS, JD, National Manager of Research Services, Reed Smith LLP.
10:45 am – 12:00 pm
Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code – Beyond the Basics: Following a brief overview of the current
model statute and a comparison of Real Property vs. UCC, we will take a closer look at the non-uniformities
found in various state statutes across the country. Though RA9 is based on a model, each state jurisdiction
chooses to adopt or not adopt, amend or not amend, or even draft its own, unique legislation. We will identify
and review some of this non-uniform legislation and the impact it has on nationwide searchers and filers. We
will also discuss best practices and common pitfalls for litigation and lien searching outside of the UCC.
Jennifer Woodrome, Capitol Services, Inc.
Social Media and the Empowered Paralegal: Whether you embrace social media or run away screaming,
it’s clear that social media has changed the way we communicate both locally and globally. This session will
give you the knowledge you need to fully understand AND harness the impact social media can have on your
life as a paralegal. In this action packed seminar, we’ll cover: Legal issues and case law related to social
media; Enhancing your effectiveness as a paralegal with social media; How to protect your privacy; Best
practices for law firms and corporations; and Improving your image and your career. No matter what your level
of comfort and experience with social media or whether you’re in litigation or other practice groups, you’ll learn
tips and tricks to make social media work for you! Doug Kaminski, VP of Sales, Western Region and Canada,
Actiance, Inc.
Understanding and Complying with the FDCPA: the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act: Understanding
and Complying with the FDCPA: the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is essentially the do's and don'ts of
what a collector can and cannot do. Whether you work in the collection industry or you are an everyday
consumer, it is important to understand the different components the FDCPA. In this seminar, we will go
through each section the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to develop a full and better understanding of this
federal law. Timothy Stephens, Paralegal, Ceannate Corp.
Preparation of Documents to Be Filed with the USPTO: The USPTO requires several documents that are
critical to patent application filing and prosecution. This session will look at the importance of filing these
documents, how to prepare and file them correctly, and some of the consequences to filing such documents
with errors. Documents of particular importance include and we will discuss are the ADS (Application Data
Sheet) and IDS (Information Disclosure Statement) forms. Joshua Bishop, Attorney, Leydig, Voit & Mayer, Ltd.
The Write Way: When was the last time you truly evaluated your own writing skills? No matter how good we
think our writing skills may be, there is always room for improvement. In this interactive session, we will take a
look at ways in which you can assess your skills and then take them to the next level. Join us as we do a little
self-SWOT analysis, challenge our preconceived notions of our own abilities and talk about reaching new
audiences. John DiGilio, MLIS, JD, National Manager of Research Services, Reed Smith LLP.
PARALEGAL DAY/IPA ANNIVERSARY LUNCHEON
Join us and celebrate Paralegal Day in Illinois and IPA’s 42nd Anniversary with a luncheon.
All are welcome to attend.
Presented By
Patrick Johansen, CLM, CPP
Law Firm Pricing Expert and Blogger
PatrickPricing.com
A Pragmatic Presentation on Pricing, Profitability and the Profound Purpose of Paralegals: Since the
Great Recession, the legal industry has had to grapple with the decline of growth and the rise of fee pressure.
One law firm response was cutting expenses, which only went so far. A more-recent response has been hiring
pricing professionals, which has the potential for progress and prosperity. What is pricing? How is it done? Who
does it? Why do it? What is the paralegal’s role? Patrick’s program presents the promise of pricing and the
principles of profitability, as well as the proper professionals for progress and the purpose paralegals play.
Patrick Johansen, CLM, CPP is the Director of Business Development at Brinks Gilson & Lione. An awardwinning writer and presenter, he is the first law firm professional certified in both law firm management (CLM) and
pricing (CPP). A former Board member of ALA Greater Chicago and LMA Chicago, he currently serves on
Law360’s Legal Industry Advisory Board. He developed the first law firm pricing blog (www.patrickonpricing.com)
and the first Twitter account dedicated to law firm pricing news (#PatrickPricing).
Lunch consists of Farmers Market Salad, choice of Baked Atlantic Salmon topped with a mango papaya relish,
Breast of Chicken Vesuvio, or Whole Wheat Fettuccini sautéed with artichokes and sundried tomatoes
(Vegetarian option) and White Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake.
1:30 pm – 2:45 pm
Delaware Update: Learn about the key trends and recent legislative updates in the nation's most popular
state to incorporate. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to hear about pending and future
legislation, as well as gain insight into changes in franchise taxes and annual reports. Tamara Kling, Esq.,
Government Relations and Regional Attorney, CT Corporation.
Public Records, News & Business Intelligence (People and Company): Learn how you can locate
witnesses, uncover assets and property encumbrances, adverse filings, identify relationships between people
and businesses, and conduct corporate background checks and skip traces—all with the unique investigative
tools on WestlawNext. Learn to efficiently search the news and business information databases available on
WestlawNext using everything from the news sources of Dow Jones Interactive to reports from Dun &
Bradstreet and Investext. Become skilled at searching the 7,000 plus news sources, including The New York
Times and many well-respected local newspapers and newswire services. Also, discover how to track news
as it happens using WestClip, an electronic clipping service that delivers the articles you want to read to your
e-mail. Bethany Wentzel, Esq., Thomson Reuters.
What is the TCPA?: In this seminar we will examine the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and examine its
effects on both the coaching industry as well as everyday consumers. Timothy Stephens, Paralegal, Ceannate
Corp.
Patents vs. Trade Secrets: Whether to patent your invention or operate under a trade secret can be a difficult
decision. During this session, we will discuss 1) what constitutes a trade secret and what is patentable; 2) the
advantages and disadvantages of each option; 3) how to enforce your rights under each option; and 4) the
remedies available in the event of an infringement upon your rights. Benjamin Carlsen, Attorney, Ecolab Inc.
Real Life Ethics for Paralegals: In this session we will review each Rule of the Illinois Code of Paralegal
Ethics as well as discuss the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the NFPA Model Code of Ethics
and Professional Responsibility. We will discuss how they can be utilized in the daily work of a paralegal, and
we will apply real life scenarios to the Rules. This session will also discuss the pitfalls of social media to the
paralegal. Sharon Patterson, Legal Assistant Supervisor, Goldberg Kohn Ltd. and Caren Mansfield, CLA,
ILAP, Baker, Baker & Krajewski LLC.
3:15 pm – 4:30 pm
Foundation of a Contract: Most everyone is involved in contractual agreements of some kind, be it in your
legal specialty or personal life. This seminar will be a basic review of a contract, including the formation,
categories and standard elements. Colette Lemke, ILAP, Paralegal.
ESI Liaisons and Social Media: Before the Internet Age ushered in thousands of new potentially relevant
sources of evidence, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Gmail, and Cloud storage, most discovery collections
involved a single universe of paper documents. This paper universe would be sorted chronologically, analyzed
by an army of associate of attorneys and reveal how two battling parties’ relationship began, developed and
ultimately turned sour. Corporate clients begrudgingly acquiesced to this this very expensive model as no
alternative solutions existed. Applying this same “strip mining” approach to electronic discovery is not fiscally
practicable in many instances. The class will arm the student with a methodology leveraging the capabilities of
a military and police sector technology to replace the armies of associates of paper discovery days in a much
more cost effective manner. Larry Lieb, Chief Innovation Officer, Scarab Consulting.
Excel with Microsoft Excel!: If the case involves money, then it involves numbers. If you have to crunch the
numbers, then you better be able to use Excel. Mr. Baker and Ms. Delgado are excited to present a short
tutorial on Microsoft Excel basics. Both paralegals have experience working with Excel to more easily
manipulate data and make it more user-friendly. This presentation will leave you with a small set of tools that
will supplement your technology toolbox in big ways! Eric Baker, Paralegal, The International Business Law
Group, and Tisha Delgado, Paralegal, Thompson Coburn LLP.
Details, Mistakes & Cures in IP Law Practice: Good, successful paralegals (and lawyers and secretaries)
pay attention to details. In IP law practice, it is important to get the details right. For example, an error in entry of
a serial number, or a filing date, or an inventor’s name, or a company name, can result in abandonment or
compromise of potentially valuable intellectual property rights. But even with the best of intentions and the
utmost care, an occasional mistake is inevitable. The way mistakes are handled is key. This presentation will
discuss how to get details right, some common mistakes, what to do when mistakes happen, and a few of the
procedures that may be available in the way of “cures.” Amusing and entertaining real life examples (with the
names changed to protect those concerned) will help to illustrate the points and make them memorable.
Richard Beem, Attorney, Beem Patent Law Firm.
Law Office Management: If you are a student wondering what it is like to work in a law firm, this session is for
you. It is designed to familiarize current and future paralegals with the practical inner workings of a law office
including understanding law office procedures. We will discuss the fundamentals of law office management,
including such items as billable hours, legal fees, trust accounts, ethics, client relations, the legal team,
technology and more. Sharon Patterson, Legal Assistant Supervisor, Goldberg Kohn Ltd.
REGISTRATION FORM November 20, 2014 Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza 350 W. Mart Center Drive, Chicago, Illinois Please consider the environment and assist the IPA in going green by registering online at www.ipaonline.org. You may also mail the registration form and payment to the Illinois Paralegal Association, P.O. Box 452, New Lenox, Illinois 60451‐0452. If you would like to receive a confirmation of your registration, please include your email address. Exhibitors and Sponsors will be provided with names/addresses/email addresses of all registrants. We cannot always control the air temperature in the classrooms. Therefore, please come prepared by dressing in layers. Proper dress is required for all IPA events (Business Casual). Parking is available at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza at a rate of $20 overnight/$15 daily (Valet parking only available, but at the discounted rate with validation. Tickets must be validated at the Hotel Registration desk on the 15th floor at the end of the day). A limited number of hotel rooms have been placed on hold at a cost of $149.00 per night. Reservations must be made by October 21st for this rate, and you must mention that you are reserving one of the IPA’s block of rooms. Call 312.836.5000 to reserve your room. Registration Information: Mailed registration forms must be postmarked on or before October 26, 2014 to qualify for the Early‐Bird rate. The Early‐Bird registration rate is only available to Full Day and Half Day participants. Beginning October 27, 2014, regular rates apply. Registration fee includes attendance, handout materials, and breaks. Lunch is included for those registrants attending a full day of seminars Cancellations and Substitutions: A full refund is available upon receipt of written request received by November 14, 2014. Substitution of registrants is permitted. Tax Deductions: An income tax deduction may be allowed for expenses of education undertaken to maintain and improve professional skills. See your tax advisor for more information. CLE Info: This activity has been approved for Continuing Legal Education credit by the National Federation of Paralegal Associations. Please list me as follows in the conference’s “Directory of Participants”: (Type or Print Clearly) Name:___________________________________________________Firm/Organization_________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________City, State, Zip Code ___________________________________________________ Telephone: _________________________Email Address: _________________________________________________________________________ ___ Please check if you require special accommodations and/or diet restrictions. Please describe your requirements:_________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___ IPA MEMBER ___ NON‐MEMBER (Visit IPA’s website for information on membership to receive the discounted member rate.) Session Topics: IPA reserves the right to cancel or modify the conference as necessary. Registrants will be advised in advance of schedule or speaker changes, if possible. SEMINAR REGISTRATION FORM Please Check or Circle the Educational Seminars You Will Attend Thursday, November 20, 2014 9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. 3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. The Essentials of Perfection and Article 9 of the Uniform Due Diligence when Collateral is Commercial Code – Beyond the Delaware Update Foundation of a Contract Held in a Trust Basics Perfect Partnership Between Attorneys & Paralegals Social Media and the Empowered Paralegal Public Records, News & Business Intelligence (People and Company) ESI Liaisons and Social Media Google and Beyond Understanding and Complying with the FDCPA: The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act What is the TCPA? Excel with Microsoft Excel! Trademark and Advertising Pitfalls in Social Media Preparation of Documents to Be Filed with the USPTO Patents vs. Trade Secrets Details, Mistakes & Cures in IP Law Practice Next Generation Legal Research The Write Way Real Life Ethics for Paralegals Law Office Management IPA MEMBER REGISTRATION FEES ● FULL DAY (4 sessions) ___ $195 IPA Member Early‐Bird Registration (Lunch Included) (Postmarked on or before October 26, 2014) ***BEST VALUE*** ___ $225 IPA Member beginning October 27, 2014 (Lunch Included) ___ $250 IPA Member beginning November 17, 2014 and On‐Site (Lunch Included) ************************************************************************************************************************ ● HALF DAY (2 sessions) ___ $140 IPA Member Early‐Bird Registration (Postmarked on or before October 26, 2014) ___ Add $27.50 if attending the Lunch ___ $150 IPA Member beginning October 27, 2014 ___ Add $27.50 if attending the Lunch ___ $175 IPA Member beginning November 17, 2014 and Day of Event Registrations ___ Add $27.50 if attending the Lunch ************************************************************************************************************************ ● QUARTER DAY (1 session) ___ $75 IPA Member ___ Add $27.50 if attending the Lunch ___ $100 IPA Member beginning November 17, 2014 and Day of Event Registrations ___ Add $27.50 if attending the Lunch NON‐MEMBER REGISTRATION FEES ● FULL DAY (4 sessions) ___ $245 Non‐Member Early‐Bird Registration (Lunch Included) (Postmarked on or before October 26, 2014) ***GREAT VALUE*** ___ $275 Non‐Member beginning October 27, 2014 (Lunch Included) ___ $300 Non‐Member beginning November 17, 2014 and On‐Site (Lunch Included) ************************************************************************************************************************ ● HALF DAY (2 sessions) ___ $165 Non‐Member Early‐Bird Registration (Postmarked on or before October 26, 2014) ___ Add $30 if attending the Lunch ___ $175 Non‐Member beginning October 27, 2014 ___ Add $30 if attending the Lunch ___ $200 Non‐Member beginning November 17, 2014 and Day of Event Registrations ___ Add $30 if attending the Lunch ************************************************************************************************************************ ● QUARTER DAY (1 session) ___ $100 Non‐Member ___ Add $30 if attending the Lunch ___ $125 Non‐Member beginning November 17, 2014 and Day of Event Registrations ___ Add $30 if attending the Lunch LUNCH (Celebrating Paralegal Day/IPA’s 42nd Anniversary, from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm) LUNCH SELECTION ‐ If you are attending the lunch, please select an entrée below. Lunch is included with a Full Day registration. ___ $27.50 IPA Member, attending Lunch only ___ $30.00 Non‐Member, attending Lunch only ___ Baked Atlantic Salmon topped with a mango papaya relish ___ Breast of Chicken Vesuvio ___ Whole Wheat Fettuccini sauteed with artichokes and sundried tomatoes (Vegetarian option) PAYMENT ___CHECK. Enclosed is a check in the amount of $__________ made payable to the Illinois Paralegal Association. ___CREDIT CARD. Please fax registration to 815.462.4696. Please charge to my: __VISA __MASTERCARD __DISCOVER __AMERICAN EXPRESS Name on Card_____________________________________________________Signature________________________________________________ Card Number______________________________________________________ Security Code ____________ Expiration Date _________________ Billing Address__________________________________________Billing City________________ Billing State_______Billing Zip Code____________ Email Address You Would Like Receipt Sent To __________________________________________________________________________________